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Getting the value out of my TV licence

First, I should explain why I found myself among a group of around 200 would-be screenwriters in Leicester's Curve theatre.

A good friend recently suggested we pool our talents into a new venture - writing for television. Although taken aback at first, t began to make sense. We're both professional writers and this is little more than a change of genre.

Carol and I found this three-hour session in the BBC Writers Room and signed up quickly. We had no idea what to expect but ended up being motivated and informed - and also a little reassured that what we've been doing is heading in the right direction.

Thousands of scripts are submitted every year to the BBC. Tens of thousands actually. And every one of them is read. Maybe not all the way through, but a minimum of the first ten pages. Surprised? We were. That such an organisation as Auntie is could respect its audience and potential writers is quite reassuring.

Screenwriting tips came thick and fast, alongside real examples of TV shows and scripts to prove the point.Our passion for writing seemed to be the uniting force of the audience and speaker alike and the fire of that passion was stoked further through the three hour seminar. Inspirational and useful.

This was a scratch band of people who know what they're doing. And do it well.

Standards sounded fresh and proved that if you put five talented musicians on stage with just a little rehearsal, they'll interpret tunes in their own way. There were backing stabs created by Keech/Ridout and Keech/Larsen to great effect and a genuine strong rhythm section feel between the experienced Rowe and Malcolm.

One is for a specific client, one is for my daily notes for everything else and the the third is one I carry around even in the tiniest handbag.

Of course, there is also a bookshelf of archived notebooks. And yes, I do refer back to them.

Only this week, I referred to past notes of an interview for a current job. Part of the skill is in knowing where those notes might be. And immediately recognising them when flicking through an old notebook.

When I'm the one paying, it'll always be a Moleskine. With one of my collection of Mont Blanc pens. Using better tools might just help me be a better writer.